


To Hell and Back

by InspectorBoxer



Category: Women's Murder Club (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-22
Updated: 2015-04-13
Packaged: 2018-02-26 14:50:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2656007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InspectorBoxer/pseuds/InspectorBoxer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nothing like having a building fall on you to make you realize what's important.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the first story I ever posted as a fanfic writer. The. Very. First. One. I originally posted it on LiveJournal back in *gulp* 2008. I'm cleaning it up a bit because there are a lot of writing mistakes I made as a newbie that just make me cringe. I'm not trying to rewrite history, just making it a little easier to read - hopefully. I'll be posting the remaining chapters soon.

Lindsay woke to a world of gray and dust, slashes of light filtering through the fallen timbers around her. Confusion fogged her mind as she tried to remember where she was, how she’d gotten there. Beneath her, a basement floor chilled her back, but a warm, sickly sweat had broken out all over her skin.

Particles floated in the dim light, a mixture of dirt, concrete, and splintered wood. Reluctantly, Lindsay drew in a breath, regretting it instantly as the foreign objects tickled her lungs. Something told her she shouldn’t cough, but she couldn’t help it. 

Pain bloomed in her left side before racing up her chest to steal the breath from her throat. Several minutes passed as she battled the agony, realizing with dawning horror that a rusted piece of rebar was sticking up through the left side of her abdomen. 

Lindsay’s hands wrapped around the ridged metal. The simple touch made her cry out, but she bit down on her lip, tasting blood, determined to pull the object out as quickly as possible. Maybe then she could breathe. 

Clenching her jaw, Lindsay yanked, the metal grinding against bone and muscle. Her mind did the only thing it could do to spare her the pain that followed. It shut down.

**** 

When Lindsay came to again the agony had ebbed to a manageable level. She ignored the heat pooling on her back and stomach. She knew it was blood. Thinking about how fast it fled would accomplish nothing. 

Taking stock of her surroundings, Lindsay realized in a faint, detached way that she could hear sirens in the distance. Sawdust still floated in the air around her and tickled her nose, but she was determined not to sneeze. That would just cause seven levels of unpleasantness.

Lindsay licked her lips and slowly turned her head, peering into the semi-darkness. Where was she? What the hell had happened?

_The suspect’s mother. The house._ The details came fuzzily back to her then sharpened with laser point intensity on the missing piece of the puzzle.

“CINDY!” Lindsay shouted into the broken beams and concrete. It had been a trap, and she and the reporter had walked right into it. The old woman had said she didn’t like cops. Didn’t trust them. Cindy had offered to come along, to be a buffer. Lindsay remembered the cracking floorboards. Remembered shoving the redhead toward the door. “Cindy!”

Only groaning wood and tumbling chunks of concrete answered her.

Lindsay closed her eyes. Had Cindy made it out? Was she out there frantically trying to get help? “Please God,” she begged. The possibility that Cindy was somewhere in the rubble dying... Dead… The thought hurt harder and deeper than the wound in her side. Covered in blood and dust, her energy flagging with each passing breath, Lindsay knew she had to try to find the smaller woman. She had to get her out. The pain could just go to hell. 

Something suddenly moved to her right. Lindsay turned her head again, ignoring the twinge from her injury. “Cindy?”

“Ow.”

Lindsay wanted to laugh in simple relief. “You okay?” 

****

“Ow.” Cindy shifted as consciousness came crawling back. She got her knees under her and managed to sit up in a small pocket of space. Her gaze took in the destruction around her and she realized she was lucky all she had was a headache. “Lindsay?” She coughed into her fist, blowing pulverized brick everywhere.

“Over here.”

Cindy turned her head in the direction of her friend’s voice. There was something odd about it, a faintness to it that caused her instincts to blare with alarm. “Are you hurt?” Her heart leapt into her throat when silence beat back at her.

“Can you get out?” Lindsay finally asked.

A cold chill took Cindy at the evasion. “Are you hurt?” she demanded again, ignoring the question. She peered into the damage, willing herself to see Lindsay’s long, lanky form, craving the sight of it.

“I’ve been better.”

The reporter got on her hands and knees and inched forward. “Talk to me,” she urged. “Help me find you.”

“You need to stay where you are.”

“Lindsay…”

“Please,” Lindsay pleaded. “Stay where you are. One wrong move and everything that hasn’t fallen on us, yet, will.”

Cindy closed her eyes, feeling them burn from the grit in the air. She could hear voices above, car doors slamming. “That old biddy set us up.”

She heard Lindsay laugh then gasp.

“Don’t make me laugh,” Lindsay scolded her.

“I thought that was one of the rules.” Cindy began searching for a path to the other woman. She’d never listened to any of Lindsay’s orders before and she wasn’t about to start now. Not when Lindsay needed her.

“Rules?” 

“I’m supposed to make you laugh when the chips are down.”

“Oh yeah,” Lindsay drawled, and Cindy could hear a smile in her voice despite their surroundings. “Let’s make this an exception, shall we?”

“How bad is it?” Cindy wished with every pore of her being she could plow through the debris separating them. Her hands were shaking as she eased some loose pieces of wood out of the way, praying she wouldn’t make a false move and kill them both. 

“Gonna need a tetanus shot.” Lindsay was trying to keep her tone light, but Cindy didn’t miss the edge of pain in her voice. “What about you?”

“Some Advil would rock my socks right now.”

“They’ll have you out of here soon.” 

“We’ll go together.”

****

Lindsay sucked down a sharp breath when she saw Cindy crawling toward her from the shadows. “Can’t you listen to me? Just once?”

“Maybe. But not today.”

“Cindy.”

The reporter paused, hearing something in Lindsay’s voice. “What?”

“It’s bad. You should stay over there.”

Cindy took a fortifying breath before easing forward again, more determined now than ever to get to her friend’s side.

“Never listens,” Lindsay muttered, but some part of her was pathetically grateful.

“I see what you mean about that shot,” Cindy said, studiously ignoring the wound and focusing instead on Lindsay’s eyes as she reached her. They stared at each other a moment, their brief but intense history floating between them. “Stop looking at me like that,” Cindy whispered.

“Like what?” Lindsay could well imagine that her thoughts were clear in her eyes. Hiding them seemed silly at a time like this.

“Like you believe you’re gonna die down here.”

“Cindy… I…”

“We’ll be fine. Help is already here.” Cindy tipped her head back and looked up at the remains of the house above them. A voice that sounded vaguely like Tom shouted something neither of them could make out.

Lindsay found Cindy’s hand in the relative darkness and gripped it. Cindy squeezed back, her thumb stroking scraped and bruised skin in wordless comfort. 

“You might lose your spleen out of this,” Cindy joked faintly.

“I’m sorry I got you into this.”

Something groaned overhead. Without thinking, Cindy covered Lindsay’s body with her own, shielding her from the falling chunks of concrete and dust. Angry shouts from above drifted down and everything settled once more. Slowly, Cindy pulled back, and Lindsay could smell shattered wood, blood, and the faint traces of Cindy’s perfume. Their eyes met at close range. 

“Don’t apologize to me. This isn’t your fault.”

Lindsay studied her, memorizing every detail, praying she would take these memories with her to whatever dark place she was about to go. “You need to leave,” she urged, tears tightening her throat and blurring her view. “Go back the way you came. Start yelling.”

Warm fingers eased over Lindsay’s cheek and she closed her eyes, her tears spilling over Cindy’s fingertips. 

“I am not leaving you. I’ll crawl out of here after you.” Cindy’s voice was laced with emotion, and Lindsay’s heart hurt to hear it.

“Don’t be an idiot.”

“Don’t you give up on me,” Cindy snapped with more heat than Lindsay had ever heard from the reporter. “Don’t you dare give up on me,” Cindy pleaded this time. “I need you.”

Their gazes fenced until Lindsay finally surrendered and looked away. Cindy’s hands were still holding her face and she selfishly leaned into one of them, savoring her heat and the softness of her fingers. Ignoring the dust, she kissed that hand gently. A sharp breath came from the reporter and Lindsay smiled, feeling a flare of triumph. A flare that turned to a raging flame when soft lips found hers in response.

The kiss was achingly tender, stealing what little breath Lindsay had left. She surrendered to it willingly, forgetting everything for a few moments of unexpected joy.

A wrenching over their heads had them pulling apart. Cindy shielded the taller woman again as dust and small debris rained down. Something struck the rebar and pain swept through Lindsay swift and absolute. So did the darkness that followed.

****

“How is she?”

Only vaguely aware of Jill’s return from the cafeteria, Claire sighed as she looked through the observation window at a sleeping Lindsay Boxer. Their friend was finally in her room after a surgery that had taken far longer than Claire would have imagined. Lindsay’s face was marred with scratches and bruises, but she was alive. There was nothing more they could ask for at the end of this hellish day. “She lost her spleen.”

“Did she need it?”

Claire pursed her lips but amusement twinkled in her eyes as she finally glanced at her companion. “Jill.”

“Sorry. I’m just… I’m freaked out.” 

“You and me both, sweetheart.” Claire put her head on Jill’s shoulder, feeling like she needed the physical support just to stay upright. It had taken almost two hours to free their friends. Two hours of anguish and worry. They’d pulled Cindy out first, the redhead covered in blood and dust but whole and mostly healthy.

Lindsay, though…

Claire closed her eyes as Jill’s left hand rubbed soothing circles on her back. She was usually the strongest member of the group, the one the others leaned on, but she’d gone down in that hellhole today. She’d seen her friend broken and bleeding. For one horrifying moment she’d thought Lindsay was already gone, but then Cindy had taken Claire's hand and helped her into the pocket of space, refusing to leave either of them until Lindsay was ready to be moved.

“Bitch of a day.” Jill sighed as she watched Lindsay sleep. Their friend was hooked to monitors left and right but she was breathing and that was enough. She slipped her arm around Claire’s waist and guided her over to some plastic chairs in the hospital hallway. They sat in silence, keeping guard over the friend who wasn’t able to watch out for herself at the moment.

A scuff had them both turning. Jill was on her feet before Claire knew it and had Cindy in her arms before the girl could even say hello.

****

“You all right?” Jill breathed. She leaned back and cupped the redhead’s chin, wincing at the bandage on her friend’s cheek.

Cindy nodded. Scrapes, bruises, and a mild concussion were the worst of her injuries. She drifted toward the observation window, looking wistfully at Lindsay. 

“How is she?” she whispered, almost afraid to know the answer. Cindy turned and looked at Claire whose lips tightened with worry as she got a good look at her. She knew she looked a mess, but she was grateful Claire chose not to comment. 

Claire patted the seat next to her and Cindy sat, immediately curling her feet under her and putting her head down on Claire’s shoulder. 

“She’ll be fine,” Claire promised. “She lost a lot of blood…”

“And her spleen,” Jill interjected.

“And her spleen.” Claire gave Jill a look. “But she’s a tough one. She’ll come out of this.”

Cindy closed her eyes. They were painfully bloodshot, the dirt and debris having rubbed them raw. The solution the doctors had used to rinse them out hadn’t felt much better. She’d taken a shower and changed into light blue scrubs so she wouldn’t leave a trail of grime everywhere, but Cindy still felt dirty, like she would never be able to fully wash away what they’d been through. “Can I see her?”

“Only family.” 

“We are her family,” Jill said softly, meeting Claire’s eyes.

Claire glanced around. There was no one nearby so she eased Cindy up on her feet. “C’mon, sweetie. Let’s check on her.”

Cindy shuffled behind her as Jill followed them both. They stepped inside the room and made their way to Lindsay’s side. Their friend was ghostly pale, but she breathed on her own, a small victory in an otherwise nightmarish day.

Taking Lindsay’s hand, Cindy brought it to her lips, kissing the knuckles gently. She didn’t know if the feelings they’d share in that dark basement would survive in the light of day, but they’d been given a second chance and Cindy was damn well going to make the most of it. “Hey,” she said in a husky voice. “Wake up brown eyes.”

Claire smiled indulgently at them. “Cindy, I don’t think…” She lapsed into surprised silence as Lindsay did the reporter’s bidding and slowly opened her eyes. “Well, well. Look who decided to put in an appearance.”

“Welcome back,” Jill added as she put her hand on the blanket covering Lindsay’s foot and squeezed.

Lindsay regarded the three of them with a faintly puzzled expression. “I’m in the hospital?” she croaked.

“You remember what happened?” Cindy asked.

Lindsay seemed to think about it. “The old biddy set us up,” she said echoing Cindy’s earlier words.

Cindy smiled and nodded even as she felt tears gathering. The back of her throated tightened painfully. “She sure as hell did.”

“Jacobi arrested her for attempted murder two hours ago.” Claire sounded pleased.

Lindsay closed her eyes, trying to marshal her fading energy. “How bad off am I?”

“You’re spleen-less,” Jill cheerfully informed her.

“And you lost a lot of blood,” Claire added more seriously.

“But you’re here, and you’re alive. Nothing else matters.” Cindy held Lindsay’s hand against her chest, her best friend’s fingers tightening slightly over her own.

Lindsay smiled sleepily, her whole focus on Cindy now. Cindy smiled back, hope swelling in the pit of her stomach with the way Lindsay was watching her. 

Claire, always the observant one, must have noticed. “Why don’t Jill and I wait in the hall? Give you two a moment to talk?”

Jill looked baffled but didn’t argue. She squeezed Lindsay’s foot again. “See you tomorrow, pin cushion.”

Lindsay smiled again and managed a wink.

When the two friends were gone she found the courage to look at Cindy again. “You look tired,” she murmured.

“Having a building fall on you takes a lot out of a girl.”

“You were pretty awesome down there.” 

“You talking about me disobeying you and crawling through all that nastiness to sit at your side?” Cindy swallowed and summoned an ounce of bravery. “Or are you talking about when I kissed you?”

Lindsay’s gaze wandered over the planes and angles of Cindy’s face. “Both?” she whispered with a tiny, hopeful grin.

Cindy brought Lindsay’s hand to her lips again and kissed it gently. “We have a lot to talk about, don’t we?”

“But not tonight,” Lindsay confessed. “Is it night?”

Cindy nodded. “I don’t want to leave you.”

“Then don’t.” Lindsay reached for the bedrail, trying to lower it.

Cindy quickly caught on and helped before scrambling up onto the bed. As she settled carefully against Lindsay’s uninjured side, she sighed in a relief. Lindsay’s arm settled over her, drawing her in closer, protecting her against the nightmares that were surely to come when sleep claimed her.

They’d been to hell and back today, but found a little slice of heaven at the end of it.

Cindy could live with that.


	2. Chapter 2

“Why are you so obsessed with this?” 

Jill leaned against the door to Lindsay’s hospital room as she watched her friend pack. “You lost a body part.”

“It’s not like I had a limb amputated, Jill.”

“You came in with all your bits and pieces and now you’re leaving with one less. It’s just a little freaky to think about.”

Lindsay slowly straightened from where she’d been cramming her belongings into her duffle bag. She was going to kill Cindy and Claire for sticking her with Jill as her ride home. She rolled her eyes. “Only for you.”

“Come on,” Jill needled her. “You lost your _spleen_.”

“I think you just like saying ‘ _spleen_.’ Would you be this weird if it had been my appendix?”

“That’s boring. It doesn’t even do anything except rupture four weeks before your LSATs.”

Lindsay just looked at her.

“Maybe that’s just me.” Jill grinned.

Lindsay sighed. “Can we be done?”

It was Jill’s turn to roll her eyes. “I’m just saying. Somewhere in this hospital the tiny pieces of your once working spleen got incinerated.”

“Eeew!” Lindsay winced as the injuries in her belly and back protested. She’d been in the hospital for a week now, but she was still in an uncomfortable amount of pain. The desire to get home and recover in her own space had her itching to get out of there. 

“Come on. Time to blow this joint.”Jill grabbed the duffle out of Lindsay’s hand and slung it over her shoulder. Lindsay started to protest before reluctantly realizing she was in no shape to carry it herself. 

Shaking her head, Lindsay followed Jill out into the hall where an orderly was waiting with a wheelchair. As much as it pained Lindsay to do it, she sat down in it. She wanted out of the hospital as fast as possible and walking wasn’t going to cut it. 

She missed her house. She missed her dog. She missed her own damn bed. And she missed being able to see her friends whenever she wanted. One friend in particular.

“Your _spleen_ ,” Jill murmured again as they walked.

“Drop it, Jill.”

****

Jill handed Lindsay the keys after dumping the duffle bag just inside the door of her friend’s apartment. “Claire stocked the fridge. I’ve got all your medicines right here.” Reaching into her purse, Jill produced a white drugstore bag.

Lindsay took it, startled by how many pills she could hear rattling around inside. Taking a breath, she felt her soul relax at the scent of home. “Where’s Martha?”

“At Cindy’s. She’ll bring her by for a visit in a bit.”

“A visit? Since when do I have to visit with my own dog?”

“Since you lost your...”

“Ah! Don’t say it,” Lindsay warned. 

“Since a house fell on you.” Jill smirked, watching as Lindsay slowly made her way over to the couch and sat down. “You need anything else?”

Fatigue from the morning’s activities was starting to weigh her down. Lindsay sighed, putting her feet up on the sofa and lying back. It hurt like hell given the location of her wounds, but once she was settled the pain quickly passed. “I’m home. All is well in my world.”

“Glad to hear it. Want me to stay for a bit?”

Lindsay turned her head and gave her friend a smile. “Nah. I know Denise will give you holy hell if you’re late to the Monday morning meeting.”

“You’re worth it.”

Lindsay’s grin widened. “I’m not going to be awake much longer. Go ahead and get out of here before the traffic gets bad.”

Jill crossed the room and sank to her knees next to her friend. Lindsay sensed a shift from playfulness to seriousness and gave Jill her full attention.

“I’m not good at this,” Jill confessed. “I just… I want you to know that I’m glad you’re still around. I love you, and I would have missed you like hell.”

Lindsay’s throat tightened as tears sprang to her eyes. She swallowed roughly. “Love you, too.” Her voice sounded huskier than normal, betraying her emotions. Her eyes crossed as Jill leaned over and gave her a swift kiss on the forehead.

Nothing like almost dying to make you appreciate all the things you had worth living for, Lindsay thought wryly.

Jill was almost at the door before she stopped and turned. “By the way…”

Lindsay glanced up.

“Spleen!” 

Closing her eyes, Lindsay chuckled as Jill slammed the door. Her friend’s heels clomped quickly down the steps.

When her amusement finally subsided, Lindsay reached into her hip pocket for her cell phone. She flipped it open and stared at the screen, wondering if she would come off too weak… too needy… if she were to call Cindy at that moment.

She couldn’t wait to see her even though they’d been together only yesterday. By some sort of unspoken agreement they just continued to act as friends, almost to the point where Lindsay sometimes wondered if she’d simply imagined the kiss they’d shared in the shattered remains of that house. But she could still remember the way Cindy’s lips had felt. The way she’d tasted. 

The phone snapped closed. Lindsay set it aside and closed her eyes. With thoughts of Cindy Thomas on her mind, Lindsay drifted off into what started as pleasant dreams.

Unfortunately, they didn’t stay that way.

****

Cindy checked her watch for the third time in five minutes. Her plan had been to make it to Lindsay’s by lunch, but she was now running close to half an hour behind. Martha was curled up on the passenger seat, seeming to watch her reproachfully as she sped through a San Francisco neighborhood.

“Don’t give me that look,” Cindy muttered. “It’s not my fault my editor is a total prick and blamed me for that stupid caption. And I’m not going that fast.”

Martha merely sighed.

Finally they pulled up in front of Lindsay’s apartment. Cindy hustled out of her little red car and retrieved the dog. “You ready to see your mom?” 

Martha’s tail wagged furiously.

“Been awhile, huh?” She scratched the dog behind the ears. “I can’t wait to see her either,” she whispered conspiratorially.

They started up the front steps. Cindy reached out to unlock the front door when she heard the boards under her feet groan. Her whole body broke out in a cold sweat at the sound. 

_“Mrs. Danbury, are you here?” Lindsay called out as she opened the unlocked door and peered around it. Shrugging, Lindsay stepped inside and Cindy willingly followed._

_They were halfway through the living room when the floorboards gave a hideous groan. Both women froze, startled. A cracking sound had Lindsay pivoting. She grabbed the reporter and shoved her toward the door, trying to get her to safety. Then it was as if the mouth of hell had opened up and swallowed them whole._

Cindy shuddered as she remembered falling. Bits of wood and concrete had scraped and slashed at her skin. She’d hit the basement floor as the rest of the two-story home came raining down on her.

Martha whimpered and bumped Cindy’s hand with her nose. The reporter snapped completely back to the present. “Whoa,” she whispered as she continued to tremble. She backed away from the door and went down the steps, leading Martha around to the back.

She entered through the back door in the kitchen then took a moment to steady herself as Martha pranced impatiently. Just a second girl. Your aunt Cindy is having a little freak out.”

Finally she felt her body regain control and the shakes eased. Cindy had known something like this could happen. The shrink at the hospital had warned her that both she and Lindsay might suffer some psychological effects from what they went through. So far memories of those hellish hours had only shaken her in her dreams. Now they were bleeding through when she was awake. 

Feeling steadier, she led Martha into the living room only to come up short when she saw Lindsay splayed out on the couch asleep. The trauma from moments ago faded into nothing when she gazed on that beautiful face. As always, a part of Cindy’s heart seemed to melt at the sight of her. She smiled.

Cindy quietly started toward her, ready to let Martha lick her awake just for fun.

Lindsay abruptly shifted on the couch.

And screamed.

****

_It was getting harder to breathe. The air was thick with concrete and wood dust. It gathered on the back of her tongue and throat. Lindsay could feel the grit every time she brought her teeth together._

_“Easy,” Cindy soothed as she ran a hand through Lindsay’s hair, the touch grounding the inspector and giving her an anchor against the ever-increasing pain._

_“How long…”_

_“Ten minutes,” Cindy said quietly, her voice husky as noise continued overhead. They could hear people trying to get to them. Familiar voices drifted down through the broken beams. “I thought… I thought you weren’t going to…”_

_Lindsay reached out and grabbed Cindy’s hand, squeezing it. She felt a flash of anger. At the house for collapsing on them. At the old bat who’d obviously set them up. And at herself for passing out seconds after Cindy had kissed her._

_“Do…” Lindsay licked her lips, tasting wood dust on them. “Do they know…”_

_“They heard me yelling,” Cindy replied. “When that brick hit you…” She trailed off. “I sort of started flipping out.”_

_Lindsay managed a meager grin. “Sorry.”_

_“S’okay. You’re back now.” Cindy ran her hand through Lindsay’s hair again as if she needed the touch to reassure her._

_“Yeah,” Lindsay said. “More or less.” She caught Cindy’s gaze and held it. “Listen… if… I don’t…”_

_“Stop. Just stop. No goodbyes. No final words.” Cindy shook her head adamantly. “Claire, Jill, Tom, Jacobi… they’re all up there trying to get us out. You hang on until they do.”_

_“Cindy,” Lindsay gasped her name as another wave of pain seared through her unmercifully. She was going into shock. She knew it. A part of her welcomed the idea. Lindsay looked past Cindy at the remains of the house above them. It seemed endless. Like the whole city was on top of them._

_“Don’t die on me and leave me alone here. Please,” Cindy begged. “I need you. And don’t make them go through hell to save you only to fail.”_

_“You’re more important,” Lindsay told her. “As long as you live…”_

_“I don’t want to come out of this without you.”_

_Lindsay could only look at her, taking in the deceptively calm tone in which the words were delivered. “Cindy…”_

_“We either both come out alive or neither of us does.” Cindy held her gaze and Lindsay realized the reporter meant every word._

_There was a loud, sickening crack overhead that they both felt in their bones. A large support beam abruptly gave way, hurdling down at them._

_“Cindy!”_

****

“Shhhh.”

Lindsay came to, bathed in sweat. Her body shivering so hard her teeth clacked together. She clamped her jaws as she tried to bring her body under control, faintly aware of a warm touch on the sides of her face and soft fur against her right arm. “Shit,” she hissed. 

“I’m right here,” Cindy breathed into Lindsay’s ear. She was holding Lindsay’s face in her hands, their faces almost cheek to cheek as she whispered reassurances to her friend, trying to draw her out of the dream. “I’m right here,” she said again.

Lindsay brought her left hand up and clasped Cindy’s pulling it down tightly to her chest. “Not a fun way to wake up.”

Cindy relaxed at the attempted humor. “Yeah. I’ve done that myself a few times lately,” she admitted as she drew back and studied Lindsay’s sweating features. She brushed the damp hair away from Lindsay’s forehead. Her breath hitched when piercing brown eyes opened and met her gaze up close.

The moment was broken when Martha nudged her way between them and began to happily lick her master’s face. Cindy sat back on her heels and watched as Lindsay’s features eased into a smile. 

“Hi, girl,” Lindsay breathed as the tension fled from her body. “Missed ya.”

Martha sneezed and wagged her tail furiously. She jumped back and barked, clearly wanting Lindsay to take her on a run.

“You’re still stuck with me for awhile longer,” Cindy told the dog. “Your mom won’t be up for a run for a few more weeks.” 

Martha looked at Cindy and then back at Lindsay before sneezing again.

“Gee thanks,” Cindy drawled. When she looked back at Lindsay she found the older woman watching her again, a soft smile on her face that gave the reporter goose bumps. “Um…” Cindy’s train of thought completely derailed at that look. “You hungry?”

“Sure,” Lindsay replied. “Let’s see what Claire left for us.”

_Us_. Cindy liked the sound of that. 

****

The late afternoon had brought with it an unexpected chill. Lindsay pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders as she sat on her front porch, staring out at the setting sun. Cindy was inside, puttering away in the kitchen making dinner. Lindsay had tried to help only to be shooed away. She had no idea what the little redhead was making them and she was slightly nervous to find out.

“That isn’t the only reason you’re nervous, Boxer,” she muttered. More than once, Cindy had caught her staring. She had occasionally caught Cindy in the same act, but she was supposed to be the cooler and more levelheaded one.

Instead, Lindsay felt like a teenager with her first crush. Had she been this moony over Tom? She didn’t think so. She wasn’t sure she’d ever felt this much this fast for anyone in her life. Lindsay knew she had fallen for Cindy Thomas harder than that house had fallen on them both.

The thought left her with a silly grin.

The front door opened and Lindsay looked up still wearing a broad smile. Cindy smiled back automatically as she leaned her hip against the doorframe. 

“What’s that grin for?”

“You,” Lindsay confessed. She watched with something close to giddiness as Cindy blushed adorably and dipped her head. “Dinner ready?”

“Almost.” Cindy gave the porch floorboards a cautious look before stepping out onto them. They creaked as she came closer, but Cindy appeared determined to cross them. 

Lindsay noticed and realized instinctively what was happening. She held out her hand and gently tugged the reporter closer when Cindy accepted it. Opening her blanket, Lindsay was rewarded as Cindy snuggled up next to her, instantly adding her addictive warmth to Lindsay’s chilled body.

“You’re cold,” Cindy scolded. “Why did you stay out here so long?”

“Wanted to watch the sunset.” Lindsay savored their closeness.

Cindy turned her head and watched as the sun descended through pink clouds, the San Francisco fog mercifully absent for once. “Wow.”

“Yep. Nice one tonight.” Lindsay turned and found Cindy's face mere inches from her own. It seemed like the most natural thing in the word to dip her head and capture those waiting lips. So she did.

Lindsay heard Cindy’s breath catch a second before their mouths gently collided in a rush of heat and softness. They took their time, savoring and exploring until Lindsay finally had to lean back and catch her own breath. She inwardly cursed her injury, wishing she could take things much further, but she knew this wasn’t something she wanted to rush and muck up, either.

They stared at each other as the setting sun painted them in golden tones.

“Wow,” Cindy said again before grinning.

That made Lindsay smile, too. “Yeah,” she murmured. “That was pretty wow.”

The fingers of Cindy’s right hand came up and traced the dimples on Lindsay’s face before gliding over her lips. “I don’t know what I would have done if…” Cindy swallowed and her gaze dropped.

“Hey.” Lindsay put her fingers under Cindy’s chin and tilted her head up so their gazes could meet. “I’m right here. You asked me to come out of there with you and I did.”

“You did,” Cindy agreed. “But you gave me some good scares in there.”

“I know,” Lindsay admitted. “You scared me a few times, too. When I woke up and couldn’t find you. When that damn beam fell…”

“Is that what you were dreaming about today? You yelled my name.”

Lindsay reluctantly nodded. “That thing hit you pretty hard. You took two nasty knocks on the head. I was worried it would scramble that adorable brain of yours.”

“Can someone have an adorable brain?” Cindy joked, trying to lighten the mood. “I mean, have you seen what’s in those skulls Claire cracks open?”

Lindsay chuckled. “Come on. Let’s eat.”

When Cindy stayed wrapped up in her and the blanket as they shuffled toward the door, Lindsay couldn’t stop smiling.


	3. Chapter 3

“What are you doing?”

Jill glanced up, caught with her hand literally in the cookie jar… or candy jar in this case. She pulled out a fistful of Hershey kisses. “I haven’t had lunch, yet,” she said defensively before unwrapping one and munching on it. 

Claire closed the door to her office with a weary shake of her head. “You can do better than that for lunch.” She crossed to her desk and plopped down a stack of folders bigger than the San Francisco phone book. “Lindsay get home from physical therapy okay?”

“Tom is taking her home today. I got stuck in court.”

“Bet she’s loving that.”

Jill waited for Claire to sit down behind her desk before kicking her heels off and curling her feet under her. They’d been taking turns the last two weeks, driving Lindsay to and from therapy. Their friend was responding well, but Jill was disturbed that she wasn’t already back to her usual swagger. “I heard from Cindy before coming over. She’s already at Lindsay’s place with Martha. Must be nice to work from wherever you want.”

“Have laptop, will travel.”

They were silent a moment, and Jill got the feeling Claire wouldn’t speak again until she confessed what was on her mind. “So how long…” Jill hesitated. They hadn’t talked much about Lindsay’s health in the weeks following the accident. “How long before she’s back to kicking ass and taking names?”

Claire laced her fingers and put her hands on the stack of folders. “It’s going to be awhile. But knowing Lindsay she’ll be doing both long before she should.”

The thought made Jill grin before she sobered. “Too true. I just… she’s always been so tough. I didn’t think she’d be out of commission this long.”

They looked at each other and sighed.

“Been a hell of a few weeks.” Claire said what they were both thinking.

“Yeah,” Jill agreed. “When I saw that house…” She shook her head. “I didn’t think there was any way they had survived. Hearing Cindy screaming Lindsay’s name like that, though…” She shivered in a remembered horror.

Claire closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. The poor reporter had sounded beyond terrified. She’d sounded like someone was ripping away half her soul. Claire had wanted to claw through every brick and board to get to her friends at that moment.

“I thought Lindsay was gone.” Jill’s voice was faint. They hadn’t really talked about this. Joked about it, perhaps, as a way to cope, but they hadn’t revealed just how much it had shaken all of them. Lindsay and Cindy had taken the brunt of the ordeal but they weren’t the only ones left with nightmares. Jill glanced up and saw Claire’s eyes were still closed. “You okay?”

“Tired,” Claire confessed. “I haven’t been sleeping much.”

None of them had. Jill got up and came closer to her friend, hitching her hip up onto the corner of Claire’s desk. “It’s weird. I mean… it’s over. They’re both alive. The only loss here was Lindsay’s spleen.” 

Claire cocked one eye open at her friend. 

“Why are we still freaked about this?”

“It reminds us of our own mortality. The mortality of our loved ones.” Claire looked at her fully then. “You’d think I would be used to death. I’ve seen everything that can be done to a body.” She swallowed. “But nothing prepared me for going down in that hole and seeing the two of them.”

Jill was quiet a moment. Watching Claire go into the remains of the house had been the hardest thing she’d ever done. It didn’t seem right. That the three of them were going through that without her. “You haven’t talked about it.”

Claire looked up at her. “Jill, you know something is going on there don’t you?”

“Going on where?” Jill asked in confusion. She didn’t miss the fact that Claire was changing the subject.

“Cindy and Lindsay.”

Jill blinked and then laughed. “Lindsay and Cindy? C’mon.”

Claire continued to look at her until Jill abruptly stopped laughing.

“Holy shit,” the attorney exclaimed. “They’re sleeping together?”

“Not yet.”

“Not yet?” Jill tried to process such a notion and found she just couldn’t. “Lindsay is a Republican!”

Claire grinned. “You’re telling me you never sampled the other side of the fence?”

Jill blushed as she shrugged. “That’s me. We’re talking about Lindsay. And Cindy for crying out loud. Lindsay could get arrested for cradle robbing.”

Chuckling, Claire leaned forward in her chair. “Does the thought of them bother you?”

Jill ran a hand through her short hair, trying to mask her discomfort. “I… I don’t know. I just… I’m just…”

“Jealous?” Claire asked gently.

As usual, Claire’s hunches were right on the money. Jill’s blue eyes rounded before she looked away. “Jealous of whom?” she tried to ask nonchalantly.

“Either of them. Cindy is as cute as a button and Lindsay…”

“Yeah,” Jill sighed as Claire rubbed her knee in sympathy. She knew very well what Lindsay was. “I never even went there. I didn’t think I had a chance in hell.” 

“If I had to guess what Lindsay is going through right now I’d say she’s pretty freaked out.” Claire snuck a kiss out of Jill’s palm and began to unwrap it.

“Because she’s… fallen for a woman?” Getting her brain around the idea of Lindsay and Cindy was proving to be easier than she would have thought. Jill wasn’t sure how she felt about that. 

“Because she laid herself open in that hole. I saw it. Cindy sure as hell saw it. Lindsay didn’t think she was coming out of there alive.”

“What did she do?” Jill asked softly.

****

_“Claire.” Lindsay’s voice was rough with emotion._

_“Look at the mess you got yourself into this time,” Claire chided. She set aside her rarely used medical bag and reached up, gently pushing locks of sweat-dampened hair off Lindsay’s forehead. There was blood everywhere. Lindsay’s blood. Claire could feel some of it soaking through the right knee of her jeans._

_She set the knowledge aside, knowing if she didn’t she would start crying hysterically. She didn’t come down in this hole to be Lindsay’s friend. She’d come down to save her life._

_“Cindy…” Lindsay blinked hard, trying to stay in the moment. “Get Cindy out.”_

_“Shh. You let me work here,” Claire told her. Lindsay’s voice was starting to slur and Claire felt her own heart rate ratchet up as she watched her friend fighting tooth and nail to hang on to consciousness._

_“No.” Lindsay shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes. “Please… get her out.”_

_“I’m right here, you know,” Cindy pointed out, still holding the compress Claire had given her to her bleeding head. “And I’m going to stay right here until we get you out.”_

_Claire looked from one woman to the other. She always sensed something between them. Something precious and playful. Cindy brought out a side of Lindsay that Claire had rarely seen before. But this was the first time she’d felt the true depth of what was between them. The first time she’d seen the potential. She was mildly shocked having never considered her very Republican, gun toting friend to ever swing that way, but she quickly moved past her surprise and jumped to joy tempered with desperate hope that they would all get out of there to talk about this later._

_“Lindsay, honey, I need to look at your injuries. Cindy is going to keep you talking.” Claire noted the grateful look the reporter shot her way and winked reassuringly._

_“What’s to look at it?” Lindsay groused “I got a big ass metal pole through my back and stomach.”_

_“Sense of humor is still intact I see.” Claire shined her flashlight at the wound. Only years of practice kept her features schooled in a blank expression. The rod was about a quarter of an inch in diameter and its location… “Lindsay, you probably have a lot of internal damage.”_

_“You think?” the inspector snapped._

_“Lindsay.” Cindy grabbed Lindsay’s hand and held it._

_Claire moved so she could look directly down into Lindsay’s hurting features. What she saw in her friend’s eyes made her stomach clench hard and cold. There was sad knowledge in those dark brown depths. The awareness that she didn’t have much time. Lindsay knew the clock was ticking and that her chances were fading with each passing second. “Sweetheart, I can’t just pull that rod out of you.”_

_Lindsay closed her eyes. “I know. It’s welded to whatever is under me.” She bit her lip. “Claire?”_

_“Yeah?”_

_“Whatever… whatever we need to do… we need to do it fast.” Lindsay’s eyes opened and fixed Claire with a look so desperate it wrenched something in the medical examiner’s soul. Lindsay knew the end was close but she wasn’t ready to yield to it, yet._

_“Okay.” Claire nodded once, holding her friend’s gaze. They shared a look, silently communicating everything without words. There were so many years between them. So many memories. Claire wanted more. She wanted more nights with the four of them at Papa Joe’s. More friendly phone calls. More knowing smirks. More Lindsay Boxer in her life. Claire wasn’t going to let Lindsay go without a fight. She dashed a tear away from her cheek when the moment was over. “I’m going to give you something to knock you out.”_

_“That sounds… pretty damn good honestly.”_

_“I’ll bet.”_

_Claire watched as Cindy drew Lindsay’s hand close to her heart and simply held on for all she was worth. The reporter was shaking hard, more from fear than anything else Claire surmised. She ached for Cindy. Prayed that whatever she was witnessing wasn’t going to come to an end right before her eyes._

_“Claire?” Lindsay said one last time as her friend prepared the syringe._

_“Yeah?”_

_“Make sure… Martha…”_

_Claire felt her throat tighten so painfully she could barely swallow. “She’ll be fine. And so will you.”_

_Lindsay nodded then turned her head and looked at Cindy._

_“I’ll be there when you wake up, okay?” Cindy told her. “And you’re going to wake up. We’re going to get you out of here. Do you hear me?”_

_“I hear you. But… just in case…” Lindsay shot Claire a mildly embarrassed look before fixing her gaze back on the reporter. “Whatever happens… I want you… to be the last thing I…”_

_Cindy couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. They left pink trails through the dust and grime on her cheeks. She shifted, lying down as best she could so that her face was even with Lindsay’s._

_Claire swallowed hard. She squeezed Lindsay’s other hand one last time, begging to whatever god would listen not to end Lindsay Boxer’s life in this hell._

_Lindsay squeezed back._

_With a shaky breath, Claire administered the sedative._

_“Promise me, Lindsay. Promise me you’ll fight,” Cindy pleaded._

_Claire had to hold the reporter when Lindsay didn’t respond. Their friend had slipped into unconsciousness immediately. She’d kept a sobbing Cindy barely at bay as two other rescue workers managed to crawl down into the hole. They’d both stayed for every sickening second of the extraction process, not willingly to leave Lindsay alone for a single moment._

Claire blinked before releasing a shaky breath and looked up at Jill. 

“God,” Jill murmured, tears spilling from her blue eyes. “I mean… I knew it was bad…” She got up and paced away. “At least you got to help them. I sat out there in a patrol car and prayed the whole time. A lot of good that did.”

“Maybe it did,” Claire said quietly.

“What? Praying?”

“Jill, Lindsay lost a lot of blood. I was stunned that she was even still conscious when I got to her.”

Jill went still. “You told me at the hospital…”

“I know. We were lucky. I don’t know if the praying helped but it sure as hell didn’t hurt.” Claire opened her arms and Jill crossed the room to fall into them. The two friends finally allowed themselves a release of the fear and tears that had been building for weeks.

It was hard and it hurt, but both knew their healing had finally begun.

****

Sweating and sore from another brutal session of physical therapy, Lindsay slowly climbed the steps to her door. Tom had berated her the whole way home for overdoing it, but she needed to push herself, needed to get back to normal. As much as the exercises hurt, she had to admit she was starting to to see some improvement, even if her therapist left her feeling like she’d been hit by a truck every day.

She started to call out to Cindy as she stepped inside, only to have the younger woman’s name catch in her throat. The shades had been drawn, leaving the apartment in darkness save for the three candles burning romantically on her dining room table. Lindsay audibly swallowed, her fatigue vanishing in the wave of adrenaline that raced through her.

“You okay?” Cindy asked hesitantly, appearing from around the corner and noting Lindsay’s shell-shocked expression. 

“Fine,” Lindsay replied instantly and managed a smile she hoped didn’t look completely fake. 

“Lindsay…”

“No. It’s cool. Something smells good,” Lindsay offered, both meaning it and hoping to distract the persistent reporter.

Cindy wasn’t buying it. “It’s the candles right? I got to date-like too soon. I’ll just…” She started toward the table.

“Cindy.”

The reporter turned and looked at Lindsay.

“Leave them. It’s… I just…” Lindsay swallowed and came closer, stepping into the welcome glow of the candlelight. “I just haven’t handled the dark well… since…”

Cindy’s mouth formed a near perfect ‘O.’ “I’m sorry. I didn’t think. God… I didn’t…”

“Hey.” Lindsay put her hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay. I’m adjusting.”

“But I caused… I’m sorry.”

“It was worth it to see you in candlelight.” Lindsay smiled in satisfaction as Cindy abruptly shut up.

“I… you…” Cindy gave up trying to find words and stepped forward. Wrapping her fingers in Lindsay’s shirt, she tugged the taller woman down and kissed her fast and hard. When they broke apart, Cindy had a satisfied smile of her own at the tiny sound of protest Lindsay made as she stepped back. “Hungry?”

“Yes.” Lindsay’s voice had deepened. She grabbed Cindy one-handed by the back of the neck and pulled her close again, not ready to stop. Kissing Cindy was rapidly becoming an addiction. Her mouth was so warm and so unbelievably damn soft. Lindsay couldn’t get enough.

Cindy groaned as Lindsay’s touch slipped beneath the hem of her shirt to tease the skin above her jeans. Lindsay had always wondered how people could get so lost in passion they would succumb to it in a public place. At that moment, she knew she’d do whatever Cindy wanted anywhere, any time. 

Lindsay finally broke off the kiss and staggered over to the nearest wall, taking Cindy with her. She slumped against it. 

“Lindsay…”

“I’m okay. You just…” The inspector laughed giddily. “I think you just kissed me senseless.”

They looked at each other, both breathing hard.

“I’m so not good at this,” Lindsay confessed. “I always screw things like this up.”

“Did those other things feel like this?” Cindy asked as she leaned into the taller woman.

Lindsay’s eyelids fluttered shut. “No.” She swallowed in surprise at her honest response. Not even close. “But I… I’ve never…”

“With another woman?” Cindy guessed. 

Lindsay nodded. “And not with a friend like you, either. I don’t want to mess this up and have you hate me. I couldn’t bear that.”

Cindy’s gaze softened. “I could never hate you.”

Lindsay didn’t want to stop touching the smaller woman. She’d never felt such a strong compulsion before. It was both frightening and damn distracting. Her fingers came up and gently traced the lines of Cindy’s jaw before following the path down her throat. Everything had changed these last eight months of her life. She could pinpoint the exact moment when her world had shifted on its axis... When she’d looked up at The Register and seen Cindy Thomas looking back at her. 

“I couldn’t take it if you did,” Lindsay confessed in a harsh whisper. “I don’t know what the hell I’m doing here. I don’t… I don’t do relationships worth a damn. I always screw them up.”

Cindy swallowed as Lindsay’s hands rested on her shoulders, the older woman’s thumbs still stroking her collarbones. “And how many relationships have you seen me in since we met?” Cindy managed in a dry voice. “You aren’t the only one who is scared here Lindsay. But I want this. I want you,” she said bravely. 

Two very different kinds of heat flood Lindsay's senses at Cindy’s declaration. She started to tremble and was powerless to stop it. Whatever was happening between them… it was different. It felt different. It felt _right_. She was scared. So very scared that she would ruin this somehow, but she knew she wanted it, too. She wasn’t sure she could live without it. 

“I’m obsessed with my job. I’m lousy at remembering birthdays and anniversaries. I forget to call…” Lindsay wanted the reporter to know what she was getting into.

Cindy grinned. “And I don’t always listen. I have a nasty habit of getting into trouble. I’ll also have you know that I have a pretty long arrest record, Inspector,” she teased and was rewarded with Lindsay’s most beautiful smile. 

They looked at each other in the candlelight.

“We’re really going to do this, huh?” Lindsay asked in wonder.

“We’re going to do this,” Cindy breathed. “And we’re going to do it right. We’re both going to mess up from time to time, Lindsay.”

“I think it’s safe to say I’ll do the majority of that.”

“And I’ll always forgive you.” Cindy laced her fingers behind Lindsay’s neck and brought their bodies into contact all down their length.

Too many gifts, Lindsay mused. Another shot at life. Cindy’s love. She felt close to bursting with the generousness of it all. What the hell had she done to deserve this? “And I’ll always pay your bail.”

Cindy laughed, joined seconds later my Lindsay’s raspy chuckle.

A knock at the door had them both turning.

“Who in the hell is that?” Lindsay growled.

Cindy gave her a sheepish expression as she stepped out of the taller woman’s embrace. “Claire and Jill. I called them. Asked them to come over for dinner.”

Lindsay seemed puzzled but not upset.

“Given all that’s happened lately I thought…” Cindy shrugged.

Lindsay understood and felt herself slide a little more in love with the reporter. She kissed Cindy on the forehead and moved to the door.

Cindy turned and slumped against the wall. Her whole body was quaking as she stood on the edge on the biggest moment of her life. She could hear Jill and Claire’s warm, familiar voices floating toward her and her world stabilized just enough. It was a night of new beginnings, her muse murmured. 

All four would make a toast to it before the evening was done.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay in posting this. Life and other writing got in the way. 
> 
> Like the other chapters, I've cleaned up a few issues but mostly left this alone since I'm pretty much posting for archival purposes. Hopefully my writing has come a long way since this story originally saw the light of day. :)

“To new beginnings,” Cindy said as she lifted her glass in a toast.  
   
Lindsay held the redhead’s gaze from across the table as she raised her glass, a small, intimate smile on her lips. “To new beginnings,” she echoed as Jill and Claire did the same.  
   
Their glasses clinked merrily over their meals before they all drank. Wine for everyone else, water for the still medicated and recovering Lindsay.   
   
Jill noticed the look between her friends with interest. When she glanced at Claire, the other woman was already watching her for a reaction. Jill managed a half-hearted smile and winked, hoping she appeared relaxed and amused when in reality she wasn’t sure what to feel. Something about Claire’s expression told her she’d failed miserably.  
   
“Warren stopped by at the end of the day,” Claire told Lindsay between bites. “He’ll be by tomorrow around lunch if it’s okay.”  
   
Lindsay smiled. “More than okay. You tell him to get his grizzled butt over here.”  
   
Cindy laughed, and Jill watched as the reporter’s gaze never strayed from Lindsay’s features. It was good to see her friend’s humor returning. It had been decidedly absent of late. Lindsay seemed more her old self as well, relaxing into the familiar banter of their makeshift family.

“I don’t think I’ll phrase it like that, but I’ll pass along the message.” Claire took another bite of her lasagna. “Cindy, this is spectacular. I didn’t know you could cook.”  
   
“Thanks,” Cindy said bashfully. “My mom always insisted that I know how. She said that was the best way to land a man.” She rolled her eyes.  
   
Jill turned and looked at Lindsay knowingly. Whatever misgivings she might have about the pair, Cindy had just lobbed her a verbal softball and Jill couldn’t help aiming for the fence. “A man, huh?”  
   
Lindsay stopped mid-chew. “What?” she said around a mouthful of pasta, clearly alarmed by the look she’d just received coupled with Jill’s tone.  
   
Jill chuckled only to jump as Claire playfully kicked her under the table. “Um… so how you feeling? Any phantom pain?” Her gaze shot daggers at Claire before turning a mild look back on the tallest woman at the table.  
   
Lindsay glanced between Claire and Jill, her brow furrowed. “A little tired. A little sore. I’m managing. And what the hell do you mean ‘phantom pain’?”   
   
“You know. You hear those stories about people losing a limb and they always talk about how the hand that isn’t there anymore still hurts.”  
   
“Are we back to the spleen thing again?”  
   
Cindy bit her lip to keep from laughing.  
   
“Jill, honey?”  
   
The blonde looked at Claire.  
   
“Shut up and pass the rolls.”  
   
Jill sighed dramatically but complied.   
   
“Slow down their, Tex,” Claire warned Lindsay with a small chuckle as she watched her friend polish off the last of the lasagna on her plate and go back to the serving dish for more.   
   
“Excuse me,” Lindsay drawled, thickening her accent on purpose. “You didn’t have to eat that slop they call food in the hospital these last few weeks.”  
   
“The vanilla pudding wasn’t bad,” Cindy added.  
   
Jill looked at her, mock aghast. “You stole Lindsay’s pudding? You pilfered pudding?”  
   
Cindy narrowed her eyes then stuck out her tongue at her blonde friend. Everyone laughed at their antics.  
   
Jill glanced between her two recovering friends. She felt her throat tighten with emotion, glad to have them both still here. It suddenly hit her hard. How things could have been very, very different. She stood abruptly.  “Excuse me a second.”  
   
All three women watched her go.  
   
“I’ll…” Claire started to get to her feet.  
   
“I’ve got this,” Lindsay said before Claire could stand. She eased slowly to her feet before heading down the hall.

**** 

Claire and Cindy sighed nearly in sync.

“How is she really doing?” Claire asked.  
   
Cindy played with her food. “She had a nightmare today. About gave me a heart attack.”  
   
“I’m guessing she isn’t the only one having nightmares.” Claire knew she was.  
   
The reporter pursed her lips and nodded slowly. “I’ve started having this reoccurring one when I’m in the hospital. I walk into her room to visit and her bed is empty.”  
   
Claire made a sympathetic sound. “Maybe she just ran off to avoid that nasty nurse.”  
   
The joke brought a tiny smile to Cindy’s face and she let the gratitude for Claire’s friendship show in her eyes. “I thought when we got out of that house it was over. Then these last two weeks… The nightmares, the flashbacks… everything Lindsay went through in the hospital. All the painful procedures. All the fear and worry that the rebar had done damage to her other organs.” Cindy set her fork down. “I was so scared that after everything we went through I was… we were still going to lose her.”   
   
Claire didn’t miss the slip. “Lindsay was very lucky,” she agreed. “An inch might have been fatal.”  
   
An inch. It was hard to imagine the difference one little inch had made in her life. 

“Tell me this gets easier,” Cindy said.  
   
“It does, sweetheart.” Claire took her hand and squeezed it gently. “Time heals all wounds. Both the physical and the emotional.”  
   
“There will still be scars, though.”  
   
Claire looked at her, mildly surprised at the depth of wisdom reflected in such a young face. “Yeah. There will be.” She slowly smiled as she hoped to lighten the mood. “I was surprised to get the invite tonight.”  
   
“Why?”  
   
“I thought you and Lindsay might want this night to yourselves.” Claire watched as the fair skin turned brick red. She chuckled. “Honey, I was in that hole with you. I saw.”  
   
“I know you did. I know you did,” Cindy said again. “I never thanked you. For coming in there. For helping us.”  
   
“No thanks needed.” Claire was quiet a moment. “I’m so very happy for you both, Cindy.”  
   
Cindy smiled shyly. “We… we’re still…”  
   
“You’ll figure it out,” Claire reassured her. “Just don’t let her push you away.”  
   
“I told her before you got here that I would always forgive her.”  
   
Claire’s breath caught, understanding what something like that would mean to Lindsay. “Honey…”  
   
“She told me she’d always pay my bail.” Cindy glanced up, her eyes dancing.  
   
Claire laughed. “Made for each other, aren’t you?”  
   
Cindy continued to smile. “I sure hope so.”  
      
****  
   
Lindsay leaned against the doorframe to the bathroom as Jill splashed water on her face. The blonde’s hands were shaking and by the little sniffle Jill gave as she stood up and reached for a towel Lindsay realized she’d been crying as well. “Hey,” she called gently.  
   
Jill started at her voice and stopped dabbing at her tearing eyes. “Hey.”   
   
“You okay?”  
   
“I’m not the one who damn near died a few weeks ago,” Jill answered seriously.  
   
Lindsay looked at her hands for a moment before meeting her friend’s blue eyes again. “No. You’re the one who would have been left behind if I had. And that’s harder.”  
   
The tears started up again and Jill let loose a colorful string of expletives in reaction. Lindsay chuckled and pulled her into a hug. “I stuck around. We’re all still here.”  
   
“Thank God,” Jill answered in a husky voice. She closed her eyes and held on.  
   
Lindsay felt a little at a loss. Jill usually joked her way around the serious stuff but obviously this was something she needed. “See if you still feel that way the next time I screw you up in court.”  
   
Jill laughed but it only made her hold Lindsay harder. “Please don’t ever do that again.”  
   
“Screw you up in court?” Lindsay teased.  
   
“Almost die on me.”  
   
Lindsay stepped back out of the embrace so she could look at her. Her own vision was blurry with tears. “I can only promise to do my best.”  
   
“I know.” Jill nodded and smiled before a wicked twinkle entered her eyes. “So.”  
   
The look did not go unnoticed. Lindsay cocked her head, wondering what Jill was up to now. She hoped the word ‘spleen’ didn’t have anything to do with it. “So.”  
   
“Tell me about you and Cindy.”  
   
Lindsay blinked as her heart kicked so hard against her ribs she almost coughed. “Uh… what about us?” She scratched nervously at the base of her neck. Her mind worked furiously, wondering if Jill was asking her what she thought she was asking her. Wondering if Claire had said something. Wondering what in the hell Jill was going to say about this interesting turn of events.  
   
Jill slowly smiled. “Inspector Lindsay Boxer, I saw the way you two were looking at each other in there.”  
   
Embarrassed, Lindsay bit her lip and dipped her head before looking up bashfully through her eyelashes. “Obvious, huh?”  
   
Jill kept smiling but it took on a bittersweet edge. “You know I never knew you…” She paused, trying to decide what needed to be said. The two of them didn’t keep secrets from each other.  “If I had known…”  
   
Brown eyes fastened on blue in surprise. “Jill…”  
   
“I’m just saying, Lindsay. I’m happy for you and Cindy. But I wish… I wish now I would have…” She chuckled.   
   
“You were always with someone when I wasn’t,” Lindsay said unexpectedly.  
   
It was Jill’s turn to blink in surprise. Her breath caught. “And vice versa.”  
   
“I guess we just weren’t meant to be,” Lindsay said gently.  
   
“Yes we were. We were meant to be friends.”  
   
Tears sprang up in Lindsay’s eyes again. “Damn good ones.”  
   
“The best ones.” Jill said as she realized the truth of it. If they had fallen into bed it would have ruined them. It was better this way. She stepped back into Lindsay’s arms and gave her a hard hug. “I love you to pieces, you know.”  
   
Puzzled, sad, and happy all at the same time, Lindsay could only hug her back. “Right back at you.”  
   
****  
   
Two weeks later, Lindsay was cleared to go back to work on desk duty. Everyone in the precinct had stopped by throughout the day to shake her hand, pat her on the back, or in the case of Fong and a few others hug her.  
   
Her sense of personal space couldn’t stand much more.  
   
Jacobi chuckled as Fong walked away.  
   
Lindsay glared at her partner. “At least he didn’t grab my ass.”  
   
“He wanted to, though,” Jacobi informed her gleefully. He glanced at his watch. “Time to go, kid. You’ve put in your full eight.”  
   
Lindsay looked at her own watch and frowned. “I’ve still got paperwork…”  
   
“You’ll always have paperwork.” Jacobi stood and slipped on his jacket. “Go home. Say hi to Cindy for me.”  
   
Lindsay paused and looked up at him. So far she’d said nothing of her relationship with the reporter to anyone outside the club. “What makes you think I’ll see Cindy?” she asked in what she hoped was a casual voice.  
   
He pointed behind her. “The fact that she’s standing over there waiting to get your attention.” He winked and waved at the redhead. She was all right for a reporter. And she’d gotten Lindsay out of that hole alive. That made her special in his book.  
   
Lindsay turned her head and her features immediately softened as Cindy’s gaze caught and held her own.  
   
Jacobi smiled. It was good to see Lindsay in love even if she wasn’t ready to admit it. “Go home. Have a good weekend.”  
   
Lindsay looked back at him. “You, too, Jacobi. Next week you get me the whole week.”  
   
“Can’t wait.” He kissed her on the head as he passed.   
   
“Goodnight, Warren,” Cindy said as he passed.  
   
“Night, Cindy.” He touched her shoulder. “She pushed herself today. Make sure she takes it easy this weekend.”  
   
Cindy grinned. “I can’t make her do anything but I’ll try to persuade her.”  
   
“Somehow I think you’ll manage.” He chuckled as he walked away.  
   
“Hey,” Lindsay said as she walked up to the reporter and stuffed her hands in the back pockets of her jeans. “What are you doing here?”  
   
“Would you be mad if I said I was here to make sure you left on time?”  
   
Lindsay considered it. “Maybe.”  
   
“Just stopping by then,” Cindy replied airily.  
   
Lindsay smiled. “Your story go okay today?”  
   
“Eh. I don’t have my usual kick-ass source to consult.”  
   
“Give me another few weeks and you will.” She glanced at the floor before looking back up at her. “You coming over?”  
   
“Sure. You want me to cook?”  
   
Lindsay smiled. “You’ve cooked enough this last week. Let me order something in.”  
   
“Deal. I expect you at your place in two hours with dinner ready and waiting.”  
   
Lindsay realized she’d just been manipulated into leaving on time. She shook her head. “Fine.”  
   
Cindy winked at her and Lindsay felt something in her chest warm. She watched the girl walk away, enjoying the sway of her hips. She bit her lip as she turned and went back to her desk. She sat with much more ease now. Hell, she did everything with much more ease now. The weeks of healing and physical therapy were finally starting to make an impact.  
   
Lindsay stared at her paperwork no longer all that interested in completing it. Her mind was already turning to the night ahead.  
   
They’d grown even closer this past week. Cindy was over every night. They would simply cuddle on the couch and watch old black and white movies, trading bites of popcorn and slow, smoldering kisses. Last night things had gone a little further. Their hands had wandered. Their mouths had explored every inch of unclothed skin. Lindsay rubbed the back of her neck. She was getting warm just thinking about it.  
   
The best nights were when Cindy was able to stay. Nightmares were rare when her body knew Cindy’s living heat was close by. Nothing happened on those nights between them but conversation as they lay on the bed facing one another. They shared hopes, fears, embarrassing childhood memories... Lindsay had never felt so close to anyone before, not even Tom. It was scary but she found she wanted to be even closer. “Soon, Boxer,” she promised herself with a smirk. “Now finish up and get out of here.”  
   
****   
   
Cindy stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. She and Lindsay had shared dinner and a movie. Their night together had been quiet and sweet, with stolen kisses and soft touches. This last week with Lindsay had been like a dream after the horrors of the weeks before it. When they switched off the movie, Cindy was pleased to see Lindsay didn’t look exhausted.       
   
Lindsay was going to need some energy for what she had in mind.  
   
Cindy didn’t want to sleep. She wanted to feel alive, wanted to make Lindsay feel alive, but Lindsay was still recovering. That made things a little trickier.  
   
Taking a deep breath to still her nerves, Cindy continued to study her reflection. She’d brought her sexiest lingerie, just in case, and it appeared her foresight was about to pay off. She looked damn good, if she did say so herself. Hopefully Lindsay would think so as well.  
   
Cindy dabbed some perfume on her neck and down her cleavage. With a smirk at her reflection, she set the bottle aside and finished with her nightly rituals. Then she noted Lindsay’s own perfume on the counter and picked it up. It was a scent that was so Lindsay. Something about it always made her heart race. In the earliest days of their friendship, Lindsay had caught her leaning in once to sniff her neck and had given her the strangest look.  
   
Cindy chuckled at the memory. They’d come a long way.  
   
With one last look and a final deep breath, Cindy went to the door, hoping she wasn’t about to make a fool out of herself.   
   
****  
   
Lindsay heard the door open and set the book she was reading aside before switching off the lamp. The room plunged into darkness save for the wash of moonlight and nightlight from the bathroom. A part of her was nervous about asking Cindy to stay. Something desperate in her soul hadn’t wanted to part with Cindy tonight. She needed her close. Lindsay looked up and felt her breath leave her body as if she’d been sucker punched.  
   
“Hi,” Cindy said needlessly. Lindsay’s eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging open.  
   
“Wh…” It was the only sound Lindsay could manage. Her eyes tracked up the path of Cindy’s bare legs before meeting creamy white lace that hugged every valley and curve of the reporter’s body. Lindsay broke out in a sweat as an inner heat flooded through her. “Sh…”  
   
Cindy looked almost like she wanted to laugh.      
   
“I’m suddenly…” Lindsay gasped a little as she tried to draw air back into her lungs. “I’m suddenly feeling very under dressed,” she managed as she glanced down at her t-shirt and shorts before returning her gaze to the reporter’s body. She’d wondered what Cindy would look like out of those cute little yuppie sweaters she liked to wear.   
   
Cindy slowly padded toward the bed in her bare feet. “This okay?” she asked slowly.  
   
Lindsay could only nod stupidly.   
   
Cindy smiled. “Am I having an effect on you, Inspector?”  
   
Lindsay laughed at that. “It would seem so.” She watched as Cindy put one knee up on the bed and slid closer. It was about the sexiest damn thing she’d ever seen. “Cindy… I…” Lindsay lapsed into silence when Cindy put a finger to her Lindsay’s lips. The touch did things to her guts that had her nearly moaning.  
   
“I know you’re hurt. I know you’re recovering.” Cindy leaned forward and replaced her finger with her mouth, kissing Lindsay with gentle intent. “But I want to make you feel good. I want to make you feel alive tonight.”  
   
Lindsay was trembling as Cindy kissed her again. Her hands were at her sides screaming at her brain to let them touch the lace and skin that were so temptingly close, but Lindsay knew once she touched her she wouldn’t be able to stop.  
   
“Let me do all the work,” Cindy breathed against Lindsay’s mouth.  
   
That was it. Lindsay’s mind snapped and her body took control. She reached out, letting her touch slide up Cindy’s sides. She felt victory as Cindy gasped against her lips in surprise. “Not all the work,” Lindsay murmured before claiming the reporter’s mouth again.   
   
Cindy eased down on top of the taller woman, careful to keep her weight off Lindsay’s left side. Her hands slipped under Lindsay’s red t-shirt and eased it upward. Her palms caressed every inch of skin they found. Fingers lightly stroked the sides of Lindsay’s breasts.  
   
Lindsay could barely think. She didn’t want to. She needed this. Needed Cindy’s heat and touch. She’d felt so cold ever since the accident, like a part of her was still trapped in there. Cindy’s hands and mouth were setting that part of her on fire. She gasped as Cindy’s lips left hers to trail down her throat, the redhead’s teeth nipping playfully along the way then soothing the bites with her tongue.   
   
“Off,” Cindy managed in a moment of lucidity. She tugged at Lindsay shirt then helped the taller woman yank it away. She threw it, not caring where it landed. She only wanted more access to the bronze skin she knew lay underneath. Her breath hitched at the vision revealed to her. “You’re so beautiful.”  
   
Lindsay started to answer but the ability left her as Cindy’s hands covered her breasts. Her head plunged back into the pillows as her body reacted. They were doing this. Jesus they were really doing this, Lindsay realized giddily.  
   
Cindy shifted so she could bring her thigh up against Lindsay’s center. The inspector’s hips jerked and Cindy pressed down with her upper body to hold her in place. “Let me,” she whispered. “You’ll hurt yourself.”  
   
It was the sad truth and they both knew it. Lindsay had felt a flash of pain when her body had reacted, but it was drowned out by the pleasure of the pressure against her.  “You feel good,” Lindsay managed.  
   
The soft declaration did things to Cindy’s heart and body. Tears sprang to her eyes as she let her mouth sink lower, finding Lindsay’s right breast with her teeth and tongue. It did feel good. It felt perfect. And Lindsay’s skin tasted so much better than she’d ever imagined.   
   
Abruptly Cindy sat back and Lindsay almost yelled at the loss of contact. Cindy shucked her own top, throwing it away into the dark corners of the room. Lindsay only got a flash of pale skin and perfect breasts but it was enough to sear the image onto her brain. They she felt Cindy’s nipples against her own heartbeats before that talented mouth found hers again. Everything else ceased to exist.  
   
Cindy took her time, memorizing every inch of Lindsay body. She found the spots that made the inspector weak. The spots that made her moan. She bathed the scars in kisses, soothed the lingering bruises with her tongue. By the time she lowered Lindsay’s shorts, the taller woman was visibly quaking with need.  
   
Feeling rather pleased with herself, Cindy leaned up and whispered into Lindsay’s ear as her fingers finally entered velvet heat. “Have you dreamed about this?”  
   
Lindsay tried to process the words. Tried to come to grips with the fact that Cindy Thomas was laying on top of her. That the reporter was driving her completely out of her mind. “Yes.” It came out a gasp and a plea.  
   
“No nightmares tonight,” Cindy whispered as she entered the taller woman.  
   
“God, Cindy.” Lindsay’s voice was ragged.  
   
It didn’t take long until Lindsay tipped over the edge, crying out hoarsely until Cindy swallowed the sound with a desperate kiss. Determined to stay in the moment, to give Cindy at least the release if not the beautiful build up, Lindsay’s right hand slipped inside the reporter’s panties.  
   
Cindy moaned when Lindsay’s touch became very intimate indeed. Her body arched into those long fingers, knowing it wouldn’t take much. The thought that Lindsay was touching her like this was alone enough to make her shatter apart.  
   
“Show me,” Lindsay breathed in Cindy’s ear. She took Cindy’s hand with her left and guided it down between them. She felt the redhead shudder at the request then comply, her hand cupping Lindsay’s right hand as the taller woman stroked her.   
   
Cindy could only whimper as she guided the touch where she wanted it. Craved it. Then she felt those deliciously long fingers slide inside her. Everything connected. Heat swirled down tight in her belly then released like a detonation. She clung helplessly to Lindsay’s shoulders as she cried out her name.  
   
When it was finally over they looked at each other in wonder.  
   
“Wow,” Cindy managed.  
   
Lindsay laughed breathlessly. “Just wait until we don’t have to be so careful.” The thought was almost scary, Lindsay mused.   
   
With a reluctant sigh, Cindy rolled over and relaxed next to her lover.  _Her lover._  Her mind processed the term. Lindsay Boxer had just become her lover.  _Holy shit._  She started giggling helplessly.  
   
Lindsay frowned but it was with some amusement. “Something funny, Thomas? You’re not laughing at my…”  
   
Cindy rapidly shook her head. “No. God no.” She rolled over so she could look at Lindsay’s features. The taller woman looked flushed and very well loved. It was hard to believe she’d put that look on her face… in her eyes. “I just… I can’t believe this is happening.”  
   
Lindsay smiled. “C’mere.” She indicated Cindy should move closer and the reporter did, tucking her head under Lindsay’s chin. Lindsay reached down and grabbed a blanket to pull up over their damp bodies. They lay in the quiet for a moment as their hearts settled and their brains came to grips with what they had just done.   
   
“Thanks,” Lindsay finally spoke into the silence. “For making me feel alive tonight.”  
   
Cindy snuggled closer. “Likewise,” she murmured against Lindsay’s breast bone.     
   
“Cindy?”  
   
“Hmm?” the reporter asked as sleep began its siren song.  
   
“Thanks for everything.”  
   
Cindy lifted her head and looked down into Lindsay’s features. “Thank you for coming back to me.”  
   
They took each other in, their faces and bodies bathed in moonlight.  
   
“I’m going against my better judgment and saying this,” Cindy began. “Because all of this has taught me that life is too short.”  
   
Lindsay felt her heart stop as she waited to hear the words she knew were coming.  
   
“I love you, Lindsay.”  
   
Lindsay reached out and cupped the redhead’s cheek with her palm. “I love you, too,” she confessed, mildly startled with how easily the words came.  
   
“No more nightmares,” Cindy murmured as she settled back into place.  
   
“No more nightmares,” Lindsay agreed. “Not with you here.”  
   
They slipped into sleep, their satisfied smiles still in evidence when the dawn woke them to a new day and a new life.  
   
Together.


End file.
